Campgrounds Near St. Andrew's Bay, Florida

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Panama City on Florida’s panhandle lies along the shores of St. Andrew’s Bay. The bay, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico, provides a scenic backdrop for the state park that bears its name. Visitors to the Panama City area who would like to set up camp close to the bay can reserve a site in the state park’s campground or choose from a trio of other campgrounds close to the bay’s waters.

St. Andrews State Park

Just east of Panama City Beach, St. Andrews State Park (floridastateparks.org) occupies 1,200 acres on a point of land west of the pass through which St. Andrew’s Bay flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Campers have easy access to white-sand Gulf beaches and the bay’s waters, which are popular fishing grounds. Sheltered by the park’s pines, the pet-friendly campground features 176 sites with water and electricity, as well as picnic tables and barbecue grills. Sites can accommodate either RVs or tents and can be reserved up to 11 months in advance. Facilities include restrooms, a dump station, showers and coin-operated laundry facilities. Other amenities available within the park are boat ramps, beaches, hiking and biking trails, and convenience stores with snack bars.

Panama City Beach RV Resort

Less than a mile northwest of the state park entrance, Panama City Beach RV Resort (panamacityrvresort.com) sits roughly midway between the Gulf of Mexico and the Grand Lagoon, an inlet of St. Andrew’s Bay. Reserved exclusively for RVs, the resort’s 69 sites -- 14 are pull-throughs -- feature full hookups, including cable TV. The lushly landscaped campground’s amenities include a heated outdoor swimming pool, a Wi-Fi hot spot, gated security, paved driveways, beach access, restrooms, showers and coin-operated laundry facilities. Also available are two rental condos, including a studio unit and a one-bedroom condo.

Campers Inn

Campers Inn (campersinn.net) in Panama City Beach puts campers only steps from the Gulf of Mexico and four miles from the entrance to St. Andrews State Park and access to St. Andrew’s Bay. The campground’s 115 sites -- 105 with full hookups and 10 with no hookups -- can accommodate RVs and a limited amount of tents. If you’d like to enjoy the campground setting but don’t have a tent or RV, you can rent one of Campers Inn’s 14 primitive cabins. You will have to supply your own bedding and ice chest, however. Amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi, optional cable TV, camp store, restrooms, showers, gated security, children’s playground, laundry facilities and sanitary dump station.

Emerald Coast RV Beach Resort

Six miles northwest of St. Andrews State Park, Emerald Coast RV Beach Resort (rvresort.com) caters exclusively to RVers. Its 157 campsites feature full hookups, including cable TV for an additional fee. The 25-acre resort offers a wide assortment of amenities, including Wi-Fi, picnic tables with gas grills, a bathhouse with hot showers and restrooms, a dog run, coin-operated laundry facilities, and a meeting hall with a large-screen TV and library. Recreational facilities available for campers include a free-form saltwater swimming pool, sports courts, soccer field, fitness center, horseshoe pits and children’s playground.

About the Author

Don Amerman has spent his entire professional career in the editorial field. For many years he was an editor and writer for The Journal of Commerce. Since 1996 he has been freelancing full-time, writing for a large number of print and online publishers including Gale Group, Charles Scribner’s Sons, Greenwood Publishing, Rock Hill Works and others.